MANILA, Philippines – Starting Monday, Senator-elect Nancy Binay will attend a five-day training program designed for “newly elected government officials” at the University of the Philippines’ National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG).

The program is expected to be a crash course on legislative work for political neophytes like Binay, 40, who will begin her six-year term when the 16th Congress opens on July 22.

“I’m attending the program,” she said of her preparations for the Senate.

The NCPAG is also offering a related course for newly elected officials in local government positions. It has an “Introductory Course on Excellence in Local Legislation” (iExceLL) for vice mayors and vice governors and members of the provincial boards.

The five-day course costs P10,000 for every participant, according to the NCPAG website.

Binay said she was still forming her Senate staff, but had instructed her legal team to draft the bills she promised during the campaign. She said the first batch of legislative measures would be ready by July 1.

“I want bills that are doable,” she said. “I don’t want to file bills just for the sake of filing. I will go for quality, not quantity.”

Binay said her priority would be a bill seeking the establishment of day-care centers in private companies and government offices.

“This would be beneficial for parents who have no one to look after their kids at home whenever they are away at work,” she said.

At the Senate, Binay is expected to be part of what she described as a “solid minority” led by resigned Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile. The “Solid 6” will also include acting Senate President Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and half-brother Jose Victor (JV), and Senators Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan and Vicente Sotto III.

“We are a solid group and we will really play the role of a fiscalizer,” she said.

The campaign made Binay richer by more than P8 million, according to her statement of election contributions and expenditures. She said she was planning to donate the amount to an orphanage and a children’s foundation.

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